


This is how it goes.

by Nobodysgonnaknow



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - After College/University, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Stripper/Exotic Dancer, M/M, Social Media, TikTok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:20:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28883802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nobodysgonnaknow/pseuds/Nobodysgonnaknow
Summary: Oikawa, Bokuto, Kuroo, and Tsukishima work at a campus coffee shop together. "Sips" is owned by Sugawara Koushi, a somewhat chaotic superior who is hardly around but always in everyone's business. This is the story of how ever-after began.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 45





	1. Iwazumi 22 Athletic Trainer

**Author's Note:**

> This story begins with a focus on Oikawa and his budding "friend"ship with Iwazumi. As it progresses there will be heavy plot behind every pairing listed. Rated mature because I expect future chapters to get more intense.
> 
> This is my first time publishing fanfiction so I greatly appreciate any feedback you have. I very much want to continue this story for quite a while. Please join me for the journey!
> 
> Bold Lettering usually indicates text  
> Italics are internal monologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story begins with a focus on Oikawa and his budding "friend"ship with Iwazumi. As it progresses there will be heavy plot behind every pairing listed. Rated mature because I expect future chapters to get more intense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time publishing fanfiction so I greatly appreciate any feedback you have. I very much want to continue this story for quite a while. Please join me for the journey!
> 
> Bold Lettering indicates text  
> Italics are internal monologue

Oikawa’s heart fluttered in his chest often when he saw a notification reading: ****Iwazumi has posted a new video**** on his phone. However, his heart is fluttering for an entirely different reason as he nearly jumps out of his skin feeling his coworker leaning just over his shoulder in an attempt to peak at what has Oikawa so distracted from his cleaning duty.

“Shit” Oikawa quickly closes out of the app that has become nothing short of an obsession of his lately “God Bokuto, you scared the shit out of me!” _Please don’t ask, please don’t ask, PLEASE._

“You’re a little jumpy today aren’t ya, buddy?” Bokuto giggles as he playfully rolls up the towel in his hands and whips Oikawa with it. “I didn’t realize we were closing together tonight. Did Kuroo switch with you or something?”

“Uh yeah, he did, lucky you I suppose” He all but huffs out, willing his heartbeat to slow and hoping the embarrassing heat he feels on his face isn’t noticeable in the dim lighting of the coffee shop. Bokuto gives him a bit of a side-eye and smirk as he ties his apron and wrestles his hair into a low pony to start his shift, but fortunately seems to realize whatever has Oikawa spooked is too private for him to question.

Oikawa finds himself wondering if Bokuto’s lack of hair cuts in recent months has anything to do with Akaashi’s preferences. They had finally made their relationship official 3 years ago after lots of mutual pining during their high school careers. Ever since then Oikawa has been noticing subtle changes in Bokuto’s wardrobe, hairstyles, the way he carries himself, and even his mood swings. Oikawa finds himself smiling as he thinks about how wonderful it would be to have someone to grow with, and that thought has led him back on the dangerous path to his current crush and the heartbreak that is sure to come of it the harder Oikawa falls for someone who doesn’t even know he exists.

After discreetly pulling his phone back out and seeing another TikTok notification stating ****Iwazumi is live**** he subconsciously begins working faster. Before 10 minutes has even passed Oikawa has refilled the beans, powders, syrups, and filters preparing the shop for the morning shift. It’s a slow night since the bitter Autumn wind has picked up significantly and many students have sacrificed taste for convenience and grabbed coffee from the snack area in the library instead of bracing themselves against the cold nights of mid-October.Oikawa uses this to his advantage and checks in with Bokuto, seeing if it would be possible for him to sneak to the back for a break so he could catch at least a bit of Iwazumi’s live.

“Sure thing. I’ll let you know if business picks up again.” Bokuto waves him off as he sweeps.

Oikawa tries to hide how hastily he is pulling out his phone as he enters the tiny mop area they call a break room behind the storage. He would normally bring a snack with him to nibble on seeing as he hasn’t eaten since before his shift started 4 hours ago, but something else has taken precedence in Oikawa’s mind and he is none-the-wiser to the grumbling his stomach will surely be doing by the end of the night. He jumps over the mop handles and squeezes himself into the back corner to take a seat on the stool they have back there. It’s a little crooked and a little broken and Oikawa is pretty sure it’s from last week when Suga walked in on Bokuto and Akaashi in the back failing to keep their hands to themselves during one of Bokuto’s breaks.

_Bokuto is lucky we work for the only man more perverted than Akaashi himself._ They simply both received a slap on the wrist, but Oikawa knows Suga will hold this in his arsenal for years to come.

Oikawa curls one knee under himself as he props himself against the walls and opens the notification. As the live loads he can tell that Iwazumi is currently at work in his office. Iwazumi is a personal trainer and often live streams from his workplace to showcase new routines he has been working on and give general health advice to those interested. Oikawa accidentally came across his profile one day during his depressive scrolls alone after a failed hook-up attempt at a friend’s party. He initially stayed simply to gaze at the man’s beautiful muscle definition, _he would be a fantastic wing-spiker,_ but soon found himself actually taking away useful knowledge from his videos. So, for the last two months or so, Oikawa has found himself diligently tuning in to as many live streams as possible and making sure to like almost every one of the videos Iwazumi posts. _If I like them all it’s suspicious._

In the current live Iwazumi is exasperated. Oikawa watches the comments flooding in and sees many ****ur so hot**** and ****take off your shirt.**** He even spots a ** **yes daddy**** which Oikawa nearly gags at. Iwazumi is really doing his best to get the audience back on track without seeming too cold or put-out, but Oikawa can see the growing frustration and he feels for the man. He can’t deny that he knows the feeling of being lusted after like an object instead of treated like an intelligent human being.

As much time as Oikawa has devoted to supporting Iwazumi the past couple months, he has yet to ever post a comment on a video, let alone a live stream. However, seeing his favorite creator being treated like this has sparked a new motivation in him and he holds his breath as he types out:

****Hi Iwa - I’m very interested in the new routine, can you show us?****

The comment quickly joins the flood and Oikawa thinks himself an idiot for even assuming Iwazumi would catch his question among the rush. And he seems to be right as he hears Iwazumi say, “Umm, really I appreciate the kind words, but uh, I’d like to keep this PG if that’s okay”.

_He’s perfect._

And then Iwazumi is reaching to his phone and pausing the chat to read. Oikawa’s heart is once again racing as he takes in the subtle sweep of Iwazumi’s eyes and the glint of teeth as he starts to smile at what he’s reading.

“Ah, yes, UFOikawa is it? I’m just about to get started now” and Oikawa nearly throws his phone.


	2. Tooru Oikawa 23 Barista

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa is a brave boy and Iwazumi isn't as blind as Oikawa may think he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh!!!! Actual communication begins. I'm really excited to write Iwaoi in my style. Please give me some feedback!!
> 
> Bold lettering is text  
> Italics is internal monologue

“Ah, yes, UFOikawa is it? I’m just about to get started now”

“Oi! It’s getting kinda busy up here, you okay to help me again, bud?” He hears his coworker yell from the front. _Shit timing Bokuto._ Oikawa stalls for another minute, watching as Iwazumi stretches and gets himself into position on his mat. “Hey Hey Hey! We really need some mugs wash-

-oh. Hey.” Bokuto finishes as Oikawa slumps around the corner exuding a much different mood than when he went back for his break. Oikawa couldn’t help his disappointment at being immediately pulled away when he finally had the confidence to say his first sentence to the man of his dreams.

Bokuto ushers him over to the sink and hands him the elbow length yellow dish gloves that always make Oikawa feel like a dainty housewife. “I could be a dainty housewife for Iwa-chan”Oikawa mumbles to himself as he over-aggressively scrubs each and every mug piled up next to him.

The rest of the shift goes fairly smoothly. The coffee shop dwindles to a ghost town and the closing routines are done much earlier than usual. The last hour is usually quiet anyway as most of the students have already grabbed their coffees and headed to the library or dorms to study for the next day. Bokuto is humming to himself while wiping down the glass pastry cases and Oikawa is quietly stewing to himself over the fact that his negativity was too obvious once he was pulled away from Iwazumi’s live stream. Bokuto got 3 numbers left for him on the tables today and Oikawa got nothing, not even a second glance, and that was highly unusual. One customer even came and complained about his matcha latte that he had just made him. _Too frothy my ass._

“Akaashi isn’t gonna be over tonight cause he has an exam in the morning so I can stay and close up if you wanna head out. You’re… weird today. Go sleep or something.”

_Hmph._ “Yeah. Okay.”

He basically rips his apron off, thanks his friend for always being the kind person that he is and assures him he will be back to his chipper self next shift. He lives about 2 miles away from the shop and usually gets a ride from whomever he closes with, but today he is grateful for the alone time during his walk back. He puts on some music and sometimes even lightly jogs if the beat calls for it. It feels great, actually, and by the time he arrives back to his apartment he is in a much better mood. He hops up his stairs and unlocks his door. As he goes inside he notices his roommate, Tadashi, isn’t home yet. They haven’t talked much anyway since their schedules have differed since the start of mid-terms but Oikawa sends him a text regardless just checking in.

****I’m home early from work. You gonna be here tonight?** **

*Ping*

****Heya Tooru! I wont be home tnite! Sryy but I left pzza in refrig.** **

Oikawa smirks at the response, knowing Tadashi is obviously distracted or drunk given the odd texting pattern. Tadashi is just a freshman this year and likely to be pulled to parties even on Tuesday nights by his overly-stressed out classmates. Oikawa hopes he is having fun, but maybe not as much fun as he himself had during his freshman year. But, he is glad he can be home for him at the end of the day given he knows how tough it would have been for Tadashi to live in the dorms. It can be hell when you’ve never lived away from your parents before. Oikawa met Tadashi when he found him hunkered in the bathroom at a university volleyball game trying to disappear into the wall. The new school year hadn’t yet begun and the “friends” Tadashi had come to the game with disappeared and left him to fend for himself in an unfamiliar environment. He felt bad for the kid and kind of accidentally adopted him. Tadashi moved in with him shortly before classes began and its been fine so far. Tadashi has really opened up and gotten involved in a greater social circle. If Oikawa had little else to put on his resume, he could at least say he was a loyal friend.

***

Freshly showered and about to pull the pizza out of the fridge to heat up for an almost midnight snack, Oikawa hears a *ping* on his phone and sees that Iwazumi has posted a new video. Swiping his thumb and opening the app he sees its a bird’s eye view of Iwazumi making his dinner for the evening. He is going through the ingredients and discussing the ratios that are important and whatnot. Oikawa realizes he isn't listening to the words much and instead is staring at his gorgeously tanned hands as he adds some cayenne pepper. _Spicy._

He looks over at his slice of cardboard and sighs. After a moment he finds himself opening up the comment section and the keyboard. He doesn’t know whether its the late hour or the rush of butterflies in his heart knowing Iwa-chan read his comment aloud earlier, but he is suddenly typing, and only mildly revising, a response to the video.

****And here I am eating leftover pizza. Guess I need to watch more of your videos, Iwa. <3** **

Posted. _God what am I thinking? I need to delete that._

*ping*

Iwazumi replied: ****Guess you do. :)****

****

Tooru Oikawa might just die.


	3. Akaashi Keiji 21 Law Student/Exotic Dancer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akaashi is a law student in his first year, struggling to afford tuition, bills, and rent. He has been employed at Candy going on 2 years by Daichi Sawamura, a strict but kind boss. Bokuto, his best friend of 6 years, boyfriend of 3, is relentless in his affection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still trying to figure out my exact writing style for this since I've only just begun writing again after a 5 year break. Bear with me, I'm likely to go back and edit chapters a bit even after they have been published a while. I want it to be the best it can be! But I promise the storyline won't ever change.  
> Thank you again for the support and I would greatly appreciate any feedback going forward!! I'm open to any suggestions!
> 
> Bold lettering is text  
> Italics are internal monologue

“Bo-kun. You do realize I have a shift tonight, right? Why could you possibly be needing to call me in the middle of the afternoon when you know I was up early for an exam?” Akaashi sleepily grumbles as he balances his phone against his left ear, curled around his body pillow and relishing in the warmth of the sunlit-heated covers. 

“-kaashi, baby, I’m sorry. I just really miss you is all. Cause ya know, it’s been almost 23 hours since I got to see you and that’s- well that’s a very long time” Bokuto delicately whispers into his phone. Akaashi’s heart swells as he takes note of his boyfriend’s effort to be as quiet as possible.

Bo-kun really might be the most sickeningly sweet boyfriend in the entire world, and unfortunately for Akaashi, he can’t get enough of it. “-it’s okay, Bo. I miss you too. If you’re not working this afternoon why don’t you come let yourself in so I can get some love from my big spoon?”

“Okay!” And the attempt at whispering is quickly forgotten. “Um, I’ll get there…in approximately uh, now.” Bokuto suddenly steps into the studio apartment and shuts the door behind him quickly, attempting to shield Akaashi from the bright hallway light.

“Bo. You know that would be really creepy if you were any normal person, right?” Akaashi responds as he pushes himself up against the headboard and waves his man over to him. Bokuto is blushing head-to-toe and Akaashi is unsure if it’s from his embarrassment of already being outside the apartment or just excitement of being together again; Bokuto blushes a lot. He leans down and cups Akaashi’s chin as he kisses him so sweetly, unsure still if his presence is really welcome. Akaashi quickly pushes that thought out of Bokuto’s head as he fists his hands into his hoodie and nearly pulls Bokuto on top of him in bed. They waste no time at all. Lips turn to tongues, tongues to teeth, and soon Bokuto is very very certain that Akaashi was hoping he would show up all along.

***

The next thing Akaashi is aware of is the setting sun as he limply attempts to roll Bokuto off his left arm which is now completely numb and has no power of its own. Bokuto hardly shifts at all and it takes many kisses on the tousled hair, rosy cheeks, tip of the nose, and even a couple on the newly formed dark splotches littering his neck before Bokuto is waking up as well and quickly apologizing as he rubs feeling back into Akaashi’s arm.

“I must have forgotten to set an alarm earlier. I guess I was a bit distracted.” He smiles slyly and gives Bokuto’s arm a little pinch as he rolls himself out of bed and wanders over to the bathroom. He has to be quick as his shift starts in less than an hour and on top of the 15 minute drive, he also needs time to get dressed and do his makeup. Luckily tonight isn’t a theme, and he can choose one of his simple outfits to save some time. He emerges from the bathroom freshly showered 10 minutes later and Bokuto is just then putting his shoes on and tidying up the bed covers, having struggled to maintain consciousness after the deep sleep he was in. He stops what he’s doing immediately and gazes at Akaashi’s lithe body as he picks out some comfortable sweats for the commute there. As much as Bokuto loves seeing Akaashi all dolled-up at his performances, he simply adores him the most when hes drowning in Bokuto’s old t-shirts from high school - the high school they attended together - back before they discovered their feelings were mutual for years.

Bokuto stands up and wanders over to Akaashi, wrapping his arms around him and lifting him from the rug, squeezing so tightly he hears soft gasps before he lets Akaashi replace his feet on the ground and refill his lungs. “-kaashi, whats the show tonight? Anything extra special?”

“Not related to the performance, no, but when I ran into Tsukishima in the library last night he was telling me he thinks Daichi set up a sort of ‘shadow-experience’ for a new kid trying to decide if he wants to join the team.”

“Kid? How old is this kid?”

“19, I think. Daichi is always a little uneasy about hiring such young staff but he hired me on at 19, so maybe he is hoping for a similar success.”

“Have you met him yet?”

“No, I don’t even know his name, I forgot to ask. But Tsukishima showed me a picture from his Instagram. To be honest he looks a little too shy and reserved to be wanting to work at Candy. But some people probably would have judged me similarly. He’s a real cutie, has a bit of an innocent charm. I have a feeling if he joins he’s gonna be a new favorite.”

Bokuto’s phone suddenly starts buzzing in his pocket disturbing their conversation. Akaashi begins gathering the rest of his things and heading to the door as Bokuto fishes for his cell.

With the blow of a kiss to Bokuto he motions for him to lock up after he leaves. Bokuto stares at the closed door a few seconds too long before remembering he was supposed to be answering his phone.

“Kuroo! Hey hey hey! Am I free? I can be. What’s up?”


	4. Bokuto Koutarou 22 Barista

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo invites Bokuto on a Wednesday night-out which results in them drunk visiting Akaashi at Candy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I truly never know where this story is going when I start a new chapter but I'm enjoying the journey. Also I love sassy Kenma.
> 
> PLEASE let me know what you think! I love getting inspiration!
> 
> Bold Lettering is text  
> Italics is internal monologue

“I’m fucking exhausted, Bo. I was thinking maybe a night out? Hit up 6th st and play some pool or darts or some shit - just need to blow off some steam with my bestest bro.”

Bokuto was never one to deny a friend in need. “Sure thing. I’m leaving Akaashi’s so I’m actually pretty close already. Meet me at the usual?”

“On my way.”

Bokuto sat outside their favorite bar, more of a lounge really, and didn’t have to wait for more than 10 minutes for Kuroo to arrive. He slapped Bokuto on the back as he stood up from the bench to meet him and wander through the tinted doors. The bar’s name was Crow’s Beak. A friend of Bokuto’s from high school had told him to visit it when he came to this university and he fell in love immediately. The decor was subtle, many dark tones throughout and nothing over the top and flashy like many of the other college bars around 6th St. It made sense why Asahi would appreciate this place, and Bokuto made sure to thank him for the recommendation.

Kuroo and Bokuto shuffled over to the empty dart board in the corner and reserved their small bar top table with their jackets. Kuroo ventured to the bar to secure them both some drinks and Bokuto shot Akaashi a quick text to let him know what his plans were for the night. Unbeknownst to Kuroo, Bokuto did not have a morning shift the next day, and since he got in a bit of an afternoon nap, he was hoping Kuroo would be up to making their evening into a very adventurous Wednesday.

“Here” Kuroo slides Bokuto a glass with a clear liquid and lime, “It’s on special, and since I’m buying for my bro-date tonight, I had to go with the cheap choice. Enjoy!” He smirks and sighs as he takes a long gulp from his own and gathers the darts, handing half to Bokuto.

They begin playing as Kuroo explains why he is so mentally exhausted from the week. Turns out, even trading his shifts with Oikawa didn’t give him enough time to catch up on grading homework. Kuroo always seemed to be behind with grading as an Associate Instructor, but Bokuto can understand that grading chemistry has to be very taxing. _What do chemistry reports even look like?_ Bokuto wonders, finding himself physically shrugging at his own silent question. Kuroo shoots him a confused look in the middle of his rant but continues none-the-less. After 7 years of friendship Kuroo is fairly used to Bokuto’s many quirks.

Over the next couple of hours they get bored playing darts, the pool tables are all taken at this time of night, and Bokuto and Kuroo have each had about 4 drinks and are beginning to feel very pleased with themselves. Kuroo was happy to hear that Bokuto didn’t have anywhere to be in the morning, and with his own class not starting till 2pm, he had agreed quite quickly to venturing other places.

They continued to stumble throughout 6th St spending enough time at each bar to get one more drink under their belt. By the time 1am rolled around Bokuto and Kuroo were both laughing at just about everything in sight. They had stopped at a bench to sit outside in the cool evening air and enjoy the atmosphere of other college students crazy enough to party on a Wednesday evening. Bokuto threw one arm on the bench behind Kuroo and dug his phone out of his pocket with the other. He had a message from Akaashi time-stamped 1 hour before.

****This new kid, Kenma is his name, he’s intriguing.** **

****Yeh? Still with kuro ned 2 see you. Coming** **

Bokuto full-out grins at his phone as Kuroo leans over and reads their brief exchange.

“New kid, huh? What’s Akaashi mean by intriguing? And wait, you told him we’re going to come to Candy? That’s like a 25 minute walk!” Kuroo looks exasperated but Bokuto knew he would never deny a chance to go with him to Candy. Kuroo may never explicitly admit to enjoying the dancers, but everyone could tell by the way his eyes would trace their bodies on the stage.

“Yeah man, we’re going.” and with a mighty shove to Kuroo’s back he got his friend up and moving with him down the many blocks to get there.

Candy wasn’t located near most of the college bars since it was geared toward a slightly more mature audience. It made nights out with Akaashi and his friends from the club a little more annoying when many of them had evening shifts and didn’t want to walk 25 minutes for a beer. As the two boys approached the doors they saw a near blindingly blonde-haired bouncer leaning against them. Most patrons had already arrived for the night and there wasn’t a line any longer.

“Bo!”

“Terushima!”

Kuroo stood back as the two exchanged hugs and small talk.

“You brought Kuroo tonight, huh? What have you guys been up to on a Wednesday?”

“Ah yeah well, Kuroo has had a long week, and when he offers a bro-date I’m not going to turn down free drinks.”

“Fair enough. Well I’m sure Akaashi has told you about the new kid here tonight. He’s… something. But why don’t you just go ahead and see for yourself, Akaashi’s set just ended, I’m sure he’s waiting for you boys in the dressing room.” Terushima gave both Bokuto and Kuroo a parting nod and opened the doors to them.

The instant they entered loud music filled their ears. Lights were turned extremely low except for the spotlights on the various small stages throughout the club. Sure enough, Akaashi was no longer up there but Bokuto recognized a few of the usual faces. Akaashi wasn’t friends with all of his coworkers, but the ones he held close to his heart had also become like brothers to Bokuto over the last couple of years. He pointed a few out to Kuroo, knowing he would at least recognize the names, if not faces, having been for the night out with a couple of them before.

“Looks like Hinata, Atsumu, and is that even Suna-? are here tonight. Let’s see if we can find Akaashi, he never texted me back.”

Bokuto grabbed Kuroo and drug him back to the dressing room, knocking on the “staff”- labeled door before Daichi opened the door and let them inside.

“-Kaashi!” Bokuto nearly screeched as he scooped up his boyfriend and spun him a few times. Akaashi giggled and peppered his fluffy head with kisses as they twirled. Kuroo stood and stared at the amusing scene until they collapsed together on the couch out of breath and apologized to the rest of the staff in the room for the outburst of PDA.

When Bokuto eventually turned away from Akaashi and looked towards Kuroo he noticed his friend attempting to subtly glance at Daichi and the small boy next to him.

“That’s Kenma,” Akaashi nudged Bokuto and whispered into his ear, “he’s proven to be different than expected. Earlier, as Daichi was giving Kenma a tour of the facilities the bartender attempted a flirt with the poor kid. You should have seen his reaction, didn’t even flinch, just stared daggers at Lev. He goes ‘Daichi is talking’’ and Lev shut right up. Even got a laugh from the boss himself”

“Really? Sass from that kid there? You’re right, I didn’t expect that.”

“Watch.” Akaashi stood up and walked straight ahead to stand between Kuroo and Daichi as he addressed Kenma with an easy-going smile.

“Kenma, this is Bokuto my boyfriend” he motions behind him, “And this handsome lad is Bo’s best friend, albeit I’m somewhat sure they both have some unresolved feelings there” shooting a wink at Kuroo, making him blush from such an awkward introduction.

Kuroo diverts his gaze to the floor almost instantly, “Heh heh, yeah well look at the guy!” Kuroo offers as a response while rubbing the back of his head, little option but to roll with the teasing nature of Akaashi as always.

“Hey hey hey! That’s right, baby” Bokuto responds, offering the audience of the room a little flex.

“Hm-” Kenma looks over at Kuroo then, “interesting… it’s Kenma… my name.” and Kuroo looks up to meet Kenma’s golden eyes, glowing and quite intimidating among the dark hair framing his face.

“-Kenma” Kuroo repeats.

The room offers only silence surrounding the light conversation between the two strangers.

_Oh?_ Bokuto takes note of the way Kuroo has basically frozen in place - the hand once rubbing the back of his head now stuck awkwardly floating an inch above his eternal bedhead. Bokuto leans over to Akaashi and raises his eyebrows.

“-interesting” Kenma repeats.


	5. Kenma Kozume 19 College Student

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A deeper look into Kenma's experience investigating Candy and a brief glimpse into his past and why he has found himself in such a predicament. More of Kuroo and Kenma's initial introductions and a small twist to add some fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: His past is going to be traumatic as I get into it further involving sexual exploitation and harassment. Read at your own risk.
> 
> I also want to state that Kenma's views towards workers in the sex industry are skewed in a negative manner. This does not reflect my own feelings and it is a point of growth for Kenma that will develop throughout the story. 
> 
> Bold lettering is text  
> Italics is internal monologue

Kenma has done a fair job recently of keeping himself from most situations that require excessive social interaction, let alone ones that may end up explicit in nature. The fact that he now stands in front of a group of scantily dressed men, attempting to impress his future boss so that he can get paid to put himself in more explicit situations is a bit disturbing to Kenma himself. However, he has come this far and he’s not about to back down from the challenge now.

“I’m kind of new here myself but I’ve already come a long way. I’m gonna be the best bartender here soon enough so you can count on me if you ever need any guidance or…advice.” Lev states with a wink as he leans over the bar in front of Kenma.

“Um, thanks.” _This guy talks too much._

“This is Lev-” Daichi gets cut-off as Lev decides to keep speaking, apparently unimpressed with the short response he got from Kenma.

“If you ever need a fake boyfriend or anything, you know, for the real persistent custo-”

“Daichi is talking.” Kenma interrupts.

“-uh. Right. Well, you know where to find me! Heh.” Lev pushes back from the counter a little stunned at Kenma’s blunt response, quickly distracting himself from the awkward tension he begins to organize the bottles behind the counter preparing for the open doors in less than 20 minutes.

“Yeah, so that’s Lev. He’s only been here about a month but he actually is quite skilled. Unfortunately he also has acquired a bit of a cocky attitude to go with it. Try to be patient with him, I promise he’ll grow on you.” Daichi explains as he rubs the back of his head nervously.

_I’m not sure about that. But I’m not here to be at the bar so it shouldn’t be difficult to avoid him._

“We have another bartender, Tsukishima Kei, he trained Lev to take over most of his shifts because he also works a 2nd job at a coffee shop across town. You couldn’t find more opposite people if you tried, so you’ll probably really appreciate him. In fact, I get the feeling that you two may hit it off.”

“Good to hear.”

The tour continued throughout the next hour and Kenma got to see the building transform as it opened for the evening and the patrons poured in. He was surprised to see how many customers showed up for a weekday and entertained himself observing the variety of both men and women coming through the doors. Daichi soon finished his script and told Kenma to explore the area a bit on his own to satiate any leftover curiosity he may have. He took the opportunity to watch the dancer’s routines, getting a feel for the differences between them and ideas for how he would need to portray himself to the audience. He counted himself lucky knowing that his innocent appearance let him get away with being less skilled at dancing; the main customers that would be interested in him likely to enjoy that he wasn’t as mature in the scene. The thought irked something deep inside him but he suppressed it quickly like he did many of his feelings related to sexuality. He was here to make money, rather easy money, if his past experience in similar fields were anything to go by, only this time it wouldn’t be illegal.

_I’m here by my own choice and actions._

Kenma had been repeating this in his head throughout the night, attempting maybe to convince himself of the power he had in the decision to take a job here. It often felt like a lie to himself however, when he remembered the overdraft fees he encountered recently as his bank account ran dry. It wasn’t easy to afford living on your own when your parents kick you out the night after your 18th birthday. Kenma didn’t want to give up on his college career simply because he couldn’t afford it without loans, so he had been taking odd jobs here and there to pay rent. However, the non-stop buildup of debt he was seeing was causing endless stress and ultimately drove him to seek out a position that would normally make his stomach turn from the memories of buried trauma.

*******Back to Present***** **

“-interesting” Kenma repeated as he gazed back at Kuroo, meeting his stare.

Kuroo, his assistant instructor from Chem 101, Kuroo. Kuroo, who was blatantly staring at him as if he had never encountered a being like him before in his entire life. Kenma had to suppress his immediate need to call him out. He was unsure if Kuroo was admiring him, attempting to figure out if he recognized him, or just drunk off his ass.

“You’re small” Kuroo mumbled hardly audible above Bokuto’s giggles behind him.

“You’re… drunk? I hope.” Kenma responded, only amplifying Bokuto’s laughter from the couch until it resembled something like a screech owl.

“Ah. I mean, sorry. I-”

“Yeah, it’s fine” Kenma put his palm up to cut Kuroo off, “Daichi, can we finish the paperwork in the office now? I’d like to get home since I have class tomorrow afternoon.”

“Sure thing, follow me. What class is it?” Daichi responded as he led Kenma out of the dressing room.

“It’s a difficult one, the professor is a real stickler” Kenma states with a turn of his head over his shoulder, following Daichi into the hallway. He meets Kuroo’s eyes once more and can’t fight the urge to give him a teasing smirk, fairly confident Kuroo does not recognize him from the class roster. _Even the assistant instructors are pervs, huh._

The last thing he hears as the door swings closed is Akaashi’s voice, “I was starting to think you were going to drop down on one knee and propose right then and there, Kuroo. Pull yourself together”.

“I- no. No, I was not. He was the one flirting with me!”

Kenma heard muffled giggles and accusations and then:

“I’m not crazy! He smirked! You had to have seen it too! Bokuto back me up here!”

Kenma found his heart racing at the prospect of seeing Kuroo in lab tomorrow. He was fairly used to this feeling as anxiety attacks were a close friend of his. He was unsure just how drunk his AI was tonight. _Would he remember my name?_ _Shit. I have to see him in lab tomorrow. WHILE HE IS SOBER._

“Was I flirting with him?”

“What was that, Kenma?”

“oh- uh nothing. Sorry.”


	6. Kuroo Tetsurou 22 Assistant Lecturer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo is in for a surprise as he meets an all-too-familiar face after his drunken night visiting Candy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't updated in a while! Life has been a bit distracting. I'm going to try to stick to weekly updates from now-on. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, maybe cause I just wanna be Kenma. Please let me know what you think, I really appreciate any and all feedback!
> 
> Bold lettering is text  
> Italics are internal monologue

Kuroo’s head had been replaced with a jackhammer overnight. His ear drums rang with the beat of each foot step as he gloriously shuffled his way to the bathroom sink to drown himself. The waterfall did bring him closer to life, however also served to increase the dread of reality that he only had an hour to pull himself together for lab today. He drank a gallon. His mouth had been glued shut upon waking, reminding himself that he knew better and should have been drinking water in between the different bars from last night’s outing. He did, however, still retain his memory from the evening albeit not as crystal clear as it maybe should have been.

He remembered Kenma.

That snarky little bastard was unfortunately one of Kuroo’s first thoughts this afternoon as he hurriedly matted down his bed head to a reasonable level of tousled and dug some slacks out of the laundry that he was supposed to take care of two days ago. They were basically skin- tight anyhow so the wrinkles weren’t too noticeable. He was only the assistant, they’ll cut him some slack. Kuroo was also not stupid, he knew many of the students had their eyes on him during lab. He was attractive, and something about being in an “authority” role did it for a lot of college students. They would probably be entertained once they realized he was a bit hungover from a weekday excursion. Kuroo was just happy he didn’t run into any of his students while he was out last night, that was always a mess trying to avoid awkward tension and small talk. He did think he was happy about running into Kenma. At least that was the case until he met that same intense stare as he entered his office 10 minutes before class began.

As the assistant lecturer he had a small office nook off of the main professor’s office located just down the hall from the lab room in the lower level of the Chemistry building. Kuroo prayed to the gods that it happened to be one of the those days where time seemed to drag by, as he arrived not late, but even earlier than normal to his lab session that afternoon. His plan was to quickly brew a pot of coffee in the maker he kept in his nook for days like this. Luckily they weren’t doing any experiments in lab today that would disallow him from sipping during the 45 minute session. In fact, he was sure most students wouldn’t even show up today as attendance was only “recommended” and lab was to be used as more of a freestyle review before the chapter wrap-up at the end of the week.

Imagine his surprise as he not only expected an empty classroom, but an empty office, as the professor wasn’t even attending today’s class. Kenma was seated on the corner of his desk facing the side wall that held a window with blinds half-drawn to keep out the majority of the blinding light that often disturbed Kuroo during his grading and made him wishful for free-time and beach volleyball with Bokuto. The boy, _no he’s a grown man_ , with the small frame tilted his head just enough to catch Kuroo’s dark eyes in a thoughtful gaze.

“Kuroo. Hi.”

Kenma now turned his body and crossed his left leg over his right, an action that didn’t go unnoticed by Kuroo and only deepened his strange urge to run away. Instead he took a deep breath, rubbed his eyes clumsily while realizing he was still carrying his briefcase and jacket, and turned to set his things on the counter holding the coffee maker. Without a word he poured the grounds into the filter, added enough water for at least 3 full mugs, and waited for the steam to rise as the coffee began dripping into the pot. He was not ready for this shit.

“I’m confused.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why? Why are you here, Kenma? How did you even get into my office? How did you know this is my office? DID you know this is my office?” Kuroo hunched over the counter, shoulders pushed into his ears. He didn’t do anything wrong, but he couldn’t help feeling cornered by Kenma’s presence. Was he supposed to feel embarrassed that Kenma was here? _Why is Kenma here?_

“This isn’t your office. This is Nekomata’s office.”

“Neko- wait. You’re here for Nekomata?”

“He IS my professor, I was hoping to speak to him before lab today, however it seems like he must not be coming in.”

“I’m handling lab today. And this IS my office. You walked through his office to get to mine.”

“Hm. Oops.” Kenma smiled.

Kuroo finally felt the courage to turn around as he finished topping off his first mug with piping hot black coffee. Days like this didn’t require any sort of sugar or cream.

“So you knew who I was last night. And you didn’t say anything. That seems a little childish.”

“I was at work, Senpai.” Kenma smirked as he once again met Kuroo’s eyes and continued to somehow hold the upper-hand while also being half the size and basically lounging on Kuroo’s desk at this point.

_That’s right. Kenma works at Candy. I wasn’t just running into a random stranger while there._ If Kuroo had regained any confidence since the start of the conversation it was quickly hampered at that realization once again. His student was working with Akaashi at Candy and Kuroo did not know how that situation was supposed to affect him. A rush of different emotions flooded his system: fear, embarrassment, intrigue, and definitely suspicion.

Ignoring the urge to call Kenma out on the flirtatious nature with which he was speaking, he simply replied, “Well if you’re just here for the professor I can take a message for you and leave it on his desk. Otherwise you’re welcome to email him with whatever you needed to discuss. He’s not going to be in again until Friday’s lecture period.”

“Ah. You seem to be back to your senses now, and here I was quite entertained by your blubbering only…” Kenma pulled out his phone to check the time, “8 hours ago”.

“I was drunk. I didn’t know you were my student, Kenma. This is a large class, I can’t possibly keep track of everyone.”

“Shame. I guess I only catch your attention in a strip joint.” And with that last statement Kenma slid off his desk and crossed in front of him, making sure the foot of space between them felt more like an inch as he held eye contact the entire time.

“Kenma.”

His student turned the corner and disappeared from view as he undoubtedly wasn’t even planning on attending the lab session that day. Kuroo found himself downing the rest of his mug before refilling it and breathing, _when did I stop breathing_ , before crossing the hall to the lab.


End file.
